2 Held for Stealing 4 Ventilators from Adilabad RIMS
The accused stole four functional ventilators from the RICU and SAARI wards on the second floor of RIMS hospital, where critically ill patients were receiving emergency treatment: Police
Hyderabad: The Adilabad district police solved the case related to theft of four ventilators from RIMS hospital in the district and arrested two persons belonging to an inter-state medical equipment theft network.
Stolen ventilators, mobile phones, Rs.1 lakh in cash and several other medical devices were recovered from the arrested persons.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, district Superintendent of Police, Akhil Mahajan said two persons identified as Sajjan Basanth Mote and Abhijit, both residents of Chandrapur in Maharashtra, entered RIMS Hospital on October 30, posing as medical technicians.
They stole four functional ventilators from the RICU and SAARI wards on the second floor of the hospital, where critically ill patients were receiving emergency treatment. The stolen equipment was subsequently transported to Maharashtra.
Later, the accused contacted Konda Reddy, a Hyderabad-based medical equipment sales and service dealer, to sell the stolen equipment. Despite knowing that the equipment was stolen, Konda Reddy agreed to purchase it and travelled to Chandrapur.
While the accused were transporting the medical equipment in a car towards Hyderabad, the police personnel conducting vehicle checks near the Adilabad RTO office noticed their suspicious movements.
When the accused attempted to escape after noticing the police, the alert police personnel intercepted them and took them into custody. During interrogation, the accused revealed that they had previously committed similar thefts at the government hospitals in Nagbhid and Wani in Maharashtra, as well as at Nizamabad Government Hospital.
The stolen medical equipment from these incidents was also sold to Konda Reddy in Hyderabad. The police arrested Sajjan and Konda Reddy. Abhijit is still absconding.
Mahajan stated that stealing essential medical equipment required for saving patients' lives is an extremely irresponsible and serious offence. Strict action will be taken against those involved in such crimes.
He also appealed to medical equipment dealers to verify the sources of medical equipment before purchasing them and immediately inform the police about any suspicious transactions.
Mahajan also highlighted the importance of CCTV cameras in preventing and detecting crimes. He appealed to the public to install CCTV cameras at their homes, commercial establishments and other important locations, stating that CCTV surveillance acts as a deterrent to criminals and helps police identify offenders.
